Bellingham City Council considering installing speed cameras at school zones
Drivers in Bellingham who lead-foot it past a school may see an expensive surprise in the mail next year — a ticket for going faster than 20 mph.
Bellingham City Council members will be asked to consider a proposal for speed cameras in school zones, Public Works Director Joel Pfundt told the City Council in his 2026 budget presentation. Implementation of that measure is funded for next year.
Details about the program and its timeline are still being discussed, Public Works spokesman Connor Harron told The Herald.
“The city of Bellingham is committed to protecting our most vulnerable users — especially the children walking, biking, and gathering around our schools. The development of a traffic safety camera program for school zones is an important step in this effort, included in the Public Works work plan for 2026,” Harron said in an email.
Possible fines and other specifics are still being worked out and will be considered by the City Council.
“Once the cameras are fully implemented, they will issue tickets for speeding violations; however, we anticipate starting with a grace period and providing warnings before citations are enforced.” Bellingham Municipal Code 11.16.080 says the city follows state guidelines for the cost of a ticket for speeding in a school zone, which is double the normal fines for speeding.
The base fine for speeding in a school zone in Washington is about $250, but the actual fine depends on how fast the driver was going.
Several cities in Washington use cameras to deter speeding in schools zones, including Lynnwood and Edmonds, which set their fines for camera-recorded violations at $145.
Traffic cameras were considered at several Bellingham intersections in 2011 to deter drivers who were running red lights.
A voter initiative outlawing such traffic cameras passed by a 68% margin in November 2011, according to previous reporting by The Herald.
Separately, the Public Works Department said that it will be asking the City Council to consider reduced speed limits citywide next year.
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 5:20 AM.
